Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a wide variety of load-support and/or securement or tie-down systems have been employed for many years. Bungee cords are well known and have been used as a fastening means, among other things, for a long time. However, such well known bungee cords have all previously had nonadjustable defined lengths. Although these cords are known to be highly elastic (varying with the type of material used), the maximum length to which these cords can be stretched is limited by the elasticity of the cords' material. In other words, prior bungee cords only stretch as much as the material's elasticity will allow, and the cords do not offer any flexibility or adjustability beyond this maximum length. Therefore, these cords cannot be adjusted to, on one occasion, mount or secure an object or objects of a first size and shape, then, on another occasion, mount or secure different objects having a much larger or much smaller size. In the past, multiple cords needed to be “linked” (often unsafely) together to accomplish this, and/or many cords having a variety of lengths were needed in order to meet these ever changing length requirements.
The common end configuration for a bungee cord merely folds the end on itself and is held in place by a thick stiff wire clip. This folded shock cord end acts as a stop for a wire bale with a hook. The wire bale is usually tightly wound wire forming a sleeve through which the shock cord freely passes. The wire at the end of the wire bale is bent into a hook shape to make it easy to secure. The wire bale slide over the normally relaxed bungee cord until the bale meets the folded end. Because the folded end is larger in diameter than the wire bale sleeve, the folded end acts a stop for the free movement of the bale. The wire clip holding the end of the cord folded on itself is strong and creates a nearly permanent stop at the end of the cord. The wire clips holding the shock cord ends folded are difficult to install or replace. Therefore once a bungee cord length has been chosen and the cord ends have been folded and secured with wire clips, the usable range of the bungee cord is permanently set.
Typically, to use the bungee cord, one end is secured, the cord is stretched, and then the other end is secured. When the tension of the cord is wrong, its points of attachment must be changed to accommodate the existing cord length or a bungee cord of a different length must be used. The core of bungee cords is an elastomeric substance. Elastomeric substances breakdown with time and exposure to the environment. A new bungee cord that may have good tension for a particular application when new, will lose tension over time and may become unacceptable. The cord will then have to be replaced with another one having the desired tension. Some prior art, has also provided means by which the length of this cord can be adjusted.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,259 discloses an apparatus having a collet piece in a casing for attaching to a shock cord (or rubber or rubber composite cord or strap) anywhere along the length of the cord. The substantial change in width of a circular or flat shock cord as it is stretched is used to make the width of the cord narrow. When the cord is narrow it freely moves through a passage in the collet piece unit. When the cord is released to its fully relaxed width, the cord's width is wider than the greatest width of the passage through the collet piece and casing unit. The compression on the cord creates a frictional holding force between the collet piece, casing unit, and the shock cord. A tapered opening is provided in the casing so that when the cord is pulled in one direction while the casing is held, the frictional force causes the collet piece to slide along the tapered opening thereby reducing the width of the passage through the collet piece and casing unit to grip and hold the shock cord in the passage. The gripping width automatically follows the decreasing width of the shock cord as it is stretched with increasing force. The gripping force being limited by controlling the minimum width of the passage through the collet piece and casing according to the minimum width tolerable by the shock cord to be used. A hook or other connecting device can be attached to or can be integral with the casing to secure an end or an intermediate point along a shock cord. While this tie down system or cable tie system is adjustable, it may require several adjustments to the effective length thereof until a desired length of the tie down system is achieved.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,950 discloses an adjustable bungee cord device for fastening, securing or mounting objects together or to a stationary object. The device comprises at least two sections of conventional bungee cord, each having a means for attaching the cord sections to each other or to some stationary object, such as metal hooks. One of the cord sections is firmly attached to a locking mechanism via a roll pin positioned near the middle of the locking mechanism. This cord section extends from the locking mechanism through a slot which runs from the roll pin to the edge of the locking mechanism. The other cord section is slidably engaged with the locking mechanism via a slot which extends completely from one end of the locking mechanism to the other. The locking mechanism further comprises a latch hook comprising a lip for securing it in the closed position, a pin hole for rotatably attaching it to the locking mechanism, and a serrated edge for gripping the cord section when the latch hook is in its closed position. To adjust the length, the user opens the latch hook, slides the cord section to the desired position, and closes the latch hook. As with the previous tie down system or cable tie system, it may require several adjustments to the effective length thereof until a desired length of the tie down system is achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,984 discloses a load-support system for supporting a load employing an instantaneously adjustable hook which is freely slideable along a tie-down or load-support cord to any selected operative position where the hook is positively latched to the cord by turning or twisting the hook relative to the cord to a position wherein the inboard end of the cord exiting from the hook is disposed at an acute included angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the bore in the hook through which the cord extends. Such twisting or turning action serves to bias a latching element in the hook into latched engagement with the cord, preventing loosening—i.e., decrease in tension—of the effective length of the cord yet, at the same time, permitting movement of the cord through the hook in the opposite direction to increase the tension on the effective length of the cord while the hook remains positively latched thereto. Again, while this tie down system or cable tie system is adjustable, it may require several adjustments to the effective length thereof until a desired length of the tie down system is achieved.
Therefore there is a need for new cable tie system which overcomes one or more of the problems in the prior art.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present technology. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present technology.